ABSTRACT
Brexit and Trump have made populism the buzzword of the international media. Everything is populism and everyone is a populism expert. But while populism is an important concept to understand contemporary politics in many democracies around the world, it tells only part of the story. But while populism is an important concept to understand contemporary politics in many democracies around the world, it tells only part of the story. This chapter illustrates both points on the basis of two of the most striking political developments in Western democracies of this year, the Brexit vote and the rise of Trump, which have become the prime examples of successful populism in much recent reporting. While Brexit (and Trump) was not just about populism, but a specific form of right-wing populism, it was also a highly complex phenomenon, which has some similarities to, but also important differences from, populist radical right parties in Europe.
